How to choose the right therapist

There are many different kinds of therapy approaches, and many different kinds of mental health providers who offer them. As you explore finding a right-fit therapist, look for what kinds of therapy they’re trained in, and what that training looked like.

Different kinds of therapy approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — Helps you understand and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, and is one of the most widely studied approaches for anxiety, depression, and panic.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) — Teaches skills like mindfulness and emotional regulation to help you navigate intense feelings and improve relationships, and is often used with borderline personality disorder, self-harm, and long-standing difficulty managing emotions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) — Helps you process traumatic memories in a way that feels less overwhelming through guided eye movements, and is most often used with PTSD and single-incident trauma.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — Encourages acceptance of thoughts and feelings while you actively engage in behaviors that line up with your core values, and is commonly used with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and stress.

Trauma-Focused CBT — Adapts CBT to address the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects of trauma, and is often used with children, teens, and adults living with PTSD.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) — Builds self-awareness so you can better understand and manage emotions, and is commonly used to reduce the risk of repeat episodes of depression.

Motivational interviewing — Addresses indecisiveness and uncertainty by exploring what matters to you and encouraging action, and is often used with substance use and other changes that feel hard to start.

Psychodynamic therapy — Emphasizes self-awareness and understanding of past experiences to address current emotional and relational challenges, and is commonly used with depression, anxiety, and recurring relationship patterns.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) — Focuses on what's already working in your life and encourages small, practical steps toward your goals, and is often used for time-limited work on a specific problem.

Strength-based therapy — Emphasizes your existing strengths and abilities to build confidence and resilience, and is often paired with other approaches rather than used on its own.

Narrative therapy — Helps you re-author the stories you tell about yourself and reframe your sense of identity, and is commonly used with trauma, grief, and life transitions.

Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT) — Works directly with emotions as they come up in session to help you make sense of them and shift long-standing patterns, and is used with depression, trauma, and relationship distress.

Different kinds of mental health providers

Mental health providers are licensed by the state they practice in, so the exact letters after a provider's name vary from state to state. What the letters tell you is the field a provider trained in, the level of degree they hold, and whether they can prescribe medication.

Talk therapists — most hold a master's degree in social work, counseling, or a related field, plus supervised clinical hours and a state license.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) — A therapist with a master's in social work who provides talk therapy and can also help you connect with resources and navigate the systems around you. Some states use LICSW or LISW for the same scope of practice.

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) — A therapist trained to work with couples and families as a system, as well as with individuals.

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) — A therapist who trained in a counseling program focused on individual and group therapy, and who can diagnose and treat mental health conditions. States also use LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) and LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor) for closely related licenses.

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) — A counseling-trained therapist licensed to diagnose and treat mental health conditions, called LCMHC in some states.

Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT) — A therapist who uses art, music, drama, or movement alongside talk therapy.

Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS) — A therapist whose training centers on substance use and addiction.

Licensed Psychoanalyst (LP) — A therapist trained in psychoanalysis, which explores unconscious patterns over longer-term work.

Clinical psychologist (PhD or PsyD) — A doctoral-level provider who offers talk therapy and, in many cases, psychological and neuropsychological testing that can clarify a diagnosis.

Psychiatric care providers — these mental health providers can also prescribe medication. Not all of them offer talk therapy in addition to medication management, but many do.

Psychiatrist (MD or DO) — A medical doctor who specializes in mental health, diagnoses conditions, and prescribes and manages medication.

Psychiatric nurse practitioner (NP, APRN, or PMHNP) — An advanced practice nurse with psychiatric-mental health certification who diagnoses conditions and prescribes and manages medication.

Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) — An advanced practice nurse who, in many states, can also diagnose and prescribe.

Psychiatric care providers and talk therapists often work together. If you're seeing both, your therapist handles the ongoing talk therapy and your prescriber manages medication, and they can coordinate on your care.